Automatic fire extinguishing apparatus



Aug. 17, 1937. E. HUGEL AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS FiledJune 18, 1936 f/P/vJ-r HUEL I'VENTOI? Patented Aug. 17, 1937 T OFFICEAUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS Ernst Hiigel, Luckenwalde,Germany Application June 18,

1936, Serial N0. 86,008

In Germany December 11, 1933 6 Claims.

The present invention relates toan automatic fire extinguishingapparatus which has the advantage over known arrangements in that iteffects the work of extinguishing without making 5 use of a drivingdevice or motor.

Hitherto, constructions are known which, after the release of a lockingdevice, eject the extinguishing substance by means of a device drivenelectrically. Other fire extinguishing apparatus 10 are known whicheffect the ejection of the extinguishing substance by means of mechanismactuated by a spring or weight. The apparatus actuated electrically hasthe drawback that it must be equipped with special leads, for thecurrent 15 supply. These leads, however, are subjected to thedestructive action of the fire, whereby the apparatus is obviouslyrendered useless. The extinguishing apparatus driven by weights orsprings have the disadvantage that they complete their discharge in ashort time, whereby the apparatus is rendered considerably lesseffective.

The device of this invention eliminates the aforementioned disadvantagesin a simple manner in that it provides a spindle-driving device actuatedby a weight which driving device releases or causes the ejection of theextinguishing substance which is situated at the lower end of thecontainer. The ejection of the extinguishing substance sets adistributing screw in operation. The subsequent distribution isautomatically cf- 30 fected by the ejected extinguishing substanceitself in that it trickles downwardly on to the distributing screw insuch a manner that the latter is kept rotating.

35 The accompanying drawing illustrates diagrammatically aconstructional form of this arrangement, wherein:-

Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of the fire extinguisher.

Fig. 2 shows a plan view of same.

Fig. 3 shows a side elevation partly in section.

Fig. 4 shows an enlarged vertical longitudinal section through thebottom portion of the apparatus, and

Fig. 5 shows a detail to an enlarged scale.

According to the accompanying drawing the fire extinguisher consists ofa suitably torpedoshaped container :1, the top of which is provided witha device I) by which the apparatus can be suspended and at the bottomend of which is situated the distributor means 0. A filling opening isprovided in the top and closed by a cover d. In the interior of thecontainer a is arranged a driving spindle e having a steep or quickscrew 55 thread and on which is loosely mounted a weight 1 formedinternally with a screw thread. On the side of the weight 1 is provideda fin j which engages in a groove 9' provided in a tube 9! whichsurrounds the spindle e (Figs. 4; and 5). The groove 9' extendssubstantially the length of the 5 tube g and provides means to preventthe weight I from turning about its axis on the one hand, and on theother hand to effect the rotation of the spindle 6, after the latter hasbeen released, similarly to the well known manner of the driv- 10 ingnut of a drilling machine.

The spindle e is separated from the extinguishing substance by the tubeg, and is supported like a bearing in the closed top thereof, so that itcan rotate freely about its longitudinal axis whenever desired. Theunthreaded bottom portion of the spindle e is perfectly smooth (Fig. 4)so that, when the weight 1 reaches its lowermost position (Fig. 4) thespindle can subsequently rotate freely if caused to do so. The weight issecured in its lowermost position by means of an abutment support itsecured to the inside of the protector tube 9. The bottom end of thetube 9 is provided with holes 2' through which the extinguishingsubstance passes to the bottom opening 7' of the container a. When theextinguisher is in a position ready for use the opening 7' of thecontainer at is kept closed by means of a fusible disc is forced againstthe edge of the bottom opening of the container 0. by means of a sharpconically shaped nut l. The nut Z is mounted on a. special screw threadZ provided on the smooth end of the spindle and is screwed tightlyagainst the disc is so as to jam the same against the bottom of thecontainer and support 71. to lock the 5 spindle e against rotation.

The fire extinguisher is actuated in the following manner:-

In the ready for use position (Figs. 3, 4 and 5) the weight is situatedat the upper end of the spindle e. When the room in which the fireextinguisher is located, becomes excessively hot, the disc it melts andthus releases the spindle e for rotation. The weight f by gravity slidesdownwards as soon as the disc 70 melts (arrow Fig. 5) and in this waycauses the rotation of the spindle e while at the same time theextinguishing substance which is now free to discharge is dischargedthrough the openings i and a over the conical nut Z onto the distributorc and is dis persed by the latter. Weight 1 cannot slide downward untilthe spindle e is released for rotation. When the weight f reaches itslowermost position, the distributor is still kept rotating by the impactthereon of the subsequent discharging extinguishing substance until thesupply of the latter is exhausted.

I claim:

7 1. An automatic fire extinguisher comprising a casing for holding fireextinguishing material, said casing being formed to provide a dischargeopening in the bottom thereof, a threaded spindle having one endrotatably mounted in an upper portion of said casing, the other end ofsaid spindle extending outwardly of said casing through said dischargeopening thereof, a portion of said spindle within said casing andadjacent the opening thereof being unthreaded, extinguishing materialspreading means mounted 'on the extended end of said spindle androtatable therewith, fusible means sealing said opening and surroundingsaid extended end of said spindle to lock the same against rotation,non-rotatable Weighted means normally carried within said cas- 20 ingadjacent the top thereof, said weighted means being engageable with thethreads of said spindle and being adapted to descend through said casingin engagement with the spindle thread when said fusible means is fusedwhereby to rotate said 25 spindle and said material spreading means,said material upon said material spreading means.

2. The structure of claim 1, and a tube within said casingsurroundingsaid spindle, openings sage of extinguishing materialtherethrough, a

portion of the inner wall of said tube being formed to provide means forguiding said weighted means in its descent.

3. In an automatic fire extinguisher including a casing having a bottomopening, a rotatable member below said opening for contacting anddistributing extinguishing material descending through said opening,means operatively connected to said member for positively commencing therotation of said rotatable member, and said rotatable member includingmeans whereby the impact of said extinguishing material upon saidrotatable member causes the same to continue to rotate as long asextinguishing material descends through said opening and contacts saiding said opening and locking said rotatable member against rotationuntil said means is fused.

6. The structure of claim 3, fusible means sealing said opening andlocking said rotatable member against rotation until said means isfused,

and said means for commencing the rotation of said rotatable membercomprising a Weight.

Y ERNST HI'JGEL.

